The Planning With Kids Free Menu Planner has been launched for a few weeks now. Thanks to all those who have signed up and using the menu planner. A special thanks to those who have taken the time to give me feedback on it, I have really appreciated your comments.
Remember if you would like to have one of your recipes added to the menu planner database, just be one of the first two people to leave a link or actual recipe in the comments section below. I will add it to the database and then email to let you know it has been included.
Our Family Menu Plan for this week.
Monday: Baked Penne With Bacon
Tuesday: Chicken Schnitzel and Steamed Vegetables
Wednesday: Beef Stir Fry with Asian Greens
Thursday: Lasagne
Friday: Left Overs
Saturday: Tacos
Sunday: Chicken Wings, Baked Potatoes and Corn
If you like the look of this family menu plan, then you use this shopping list created by The Planning With Kids Free Menu Planner.
For more menu planning ideas head on over to Laura’s place at “I’m an Organizing Junkie“.
{ 3 comments }
Hiya! I am enjoying your Menu Planner tool although am yet to fully utilise it. I notice that you don’t yet have a risotto recipe (probably because, as you noted earlier, your kids don’t like “mushy rice”) so I thought you might like to add this one for oven-baked risotto. It’s really easy and adaptable, and very filling for the whole family.
Oven-baked risotto
This risotto is as easy as can be, and can be made with any variety of vegetables or meat of your choice. The quantities below comfortably serve a family of 2 adults and 2-3 children, and it is easy to upsize for more people.
My family’s two favourite variants are Pumpkin, Sweet Corn & Bacon and Mushroom & Spinach, so those are the ones I’ve included instructions for. All you need to do to change it is to stick to the basic ratio of 1 unit rice + 2 units other fillings + 3 units stick (where “units” usually equals cup measures).
Ingredients – Risotto Base
1 large onion
1 cup arborio rice
3 cups well-flavoured chicken or vegetable stock
40g butter or margarine
4 tablespoons parmesan cheese
Pumpkin, bacon & corn variant
1 cup pumpkin, cut into medium-sized cubes (Kent or Butternut)
1 cup sweet corn kernels
250g bacon
Mushroom & spinach variant
1 cup mushrooms (any variety – shitakes give a stronger taste than field or button mushrooms)
1 cup baby spinach leaves
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
- Place cup of rice, 3 cups of stock, and butter in a casserole dish large enough to comfortably hold all ingredients
- For mushroom & spinach variant – add washed spinach leaves and sliced mushrooms to dish
- For pumpkin variant – add diced pumpkin and meausured sweet corn to dish
- Chop onion finely and lightly fry in a frypan until clear in a teaspoon of olive oil. If making the pumpkin variant, dice the bacon and add to the onion in the frypan, cooking until just beginning to brown.
- Add onion (and, if relevant, bacon) to casserole dish, including the “juices” (remaining oil).
- Put lid on dish and cook in oven for 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and stir in the parmesan cheese.
- Serve and enjoy!
Kathys last blog post..Menu Plan Monday
Hi Nic,
My fave quick meal this summer is a meditteranean couscous
2 cups of cous cous
1 teaspoon oregeno
700 ml (2 1/2 cups) of chicken stock
1 teaspoon of olive oil
half cup of sun dried tomatoes
2 slices of marinated eggplant (in olive oil or balsamic vineger)
1 red capsicum sliced
1 large zuchinni sliced
4 mushrooms
200 grams of haloumi cheese
Method
Place cous cous, oregano seasoning and sock in a sauce pan – bring to the boil and then put on lid and turn off the heat leave for about – 5 – 10 mins.
In a seperate pan using some oil from the sun dried tomatoes toss in the s/d tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum, zuchinni and mushroom and cook on high heat for about 5 mins tossing/ stirring frequently.
On a griddle pan or fry pan cook haloumi cheese for about 2 minutes on each side until soft to touch. Transfer to a chopping board and dice haloumi into 1-2 cm pieces.
Place cous cous into a large serving bowl/dish and place the cooked vegies and haloumi on top, and mix through. I often substitute haloumi for feta (but not cooked of course).
S & P to taste
A non veg variation is to cook some thin slices of lamb, or chicken prior to cooking the vegies and then mix it in with all ingredients at end.
Enjoy.
Carolyn x
Hi There,
RE ingredients for meditteranean cous cous: Instead of sock try chicken stock – it’s much taster and far more fragrent! LOL
Comments on this entry are closed.